How to Make an Outdoor Christmas Candy Land

A Christmas Candy Land display takes time to perfect. Rendering your favorite holiday treats in materials that will withstand winter storms, curious wildlife and excited children requires a month or more of advance planning. Begin with a modest first-year display, and add two or three new items each year to keep decorating costs from taking the "Merry" out of your Christmas.

Things You'll Need

For lollipops:

Bright red, green, yellow, purple, blue, pink and orange paint

2-inch and 4-inch trim brushes

Laying-in brush

15- to 18-inch-diameter flat, rigid-plastic foam circles

Colored cellophane gift bags

Curling ribbon

4-foot dowel rods or broomsticks, 1-inch diameter

Hammer

For gingerbread people and candy canes:

Gingerbread people templates

Candy cane templates

Overhead projector

Clear overhead projector sheets

Easel pad

Carpenters' pencil

2-inch-thick rigid-plastic foam, 4 feet long by 3 feet wide

Hot knife

White and brown paint

6 feet rebar

Wrap-end Christmas Candies:

2-foot square plywood sheets, 1/2 inch thick

Jigsaw

Medium through extra-fine sandpaper

4-foot-long board, 2 inches by 4 inches

Table saw with miter fence or back saw and miter box

Brass wood screws

Green, red and white paint

Lollipops

Paint the narrow edge and one whole side of each rigid-plastic foam circle in a single bright color. The trim brush will allow you to paint the narrow edge in single, smooth strokes, while the laying-in brush's wider face and thicker bristles cover large areas more quickly. Allow the paint to dry overnight.

Bright colors make your decorations stand out in daytime. (Image: lollipop image by Nicemonkey from Fotolia.com)

Paint the remaining side of each rigid-plastic foam circle with the same bright color. Allow to dry overnight.

Make a 1-inch-diameter pilot hole into each rigid-plastic foam circle to fit the rods or broomstick sections.

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Pound each rod into the ground at least 1 foot using a large hammer.

Push each rigid-plastic foam circle onto one of the rods you have driven into the ground.

Pull a clear cellophane gift bag over each lollipop from the top and twist it around the rod at the bottom of the painted rigid-plastic foam circle. Tie the twisted portion of the bag with a length of curling ribbon so it will not blow away in high winter winds.

Tape a sheet of easel paper to the wall. Lay the printed gingerbread design on your overhead projector. Move the projector forward and back until the image on the wall is clear and fills the entire easel pad.

Trace the image onto the easel pad using a carpenters' pencil. Cut around the outline of your gingerbread person to make a paper template. Tape the template to a 2-inch thick, 3-foot by 4-foot sheet of rigid-plastic foam.

Use a hot knife to cut the gingerbread man shape from the rigid-plastic foam. A hot knife melts the material, according to the National Model Railroad Association, Cincinnati Division 7.

Paint one flat side and the narrow edge brown and allow to dry overnight.

Turn the painted rigid-plastic foam over and paint the remaining flat side brown. Allow to dry overnight.

Add eyes, smile, buttons and other details to each gingerbread person using white paint. Allow to dry overnight.

Pound 6-foot lengths of rebar into the ground at least 18 inches using a large hammer. Push gingerbread men onto each rebar rod through one foot, up a leg and across to the neck or head of your gingerbread man to hold them in place.

The same rebar used in stone block conctruction will keep your gingerbread men secured. (Image: bricklayer,mason image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com)

Repeat Steps 1 through 8 using a candy cane template to make a candy cane border for your yard. Use stripes of red and white paint instead of using brown and white.

Attach the prop to the cutout on the back side. Drill a 1/8-inch pilot hole through each prop and into the cutout without drilling through the wood. Attach the prop to the cutout using brass wood screws.

Arrange the candies and other items throughout your yard. Make two rows of candy canes along each path in your yard.